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Ex-Google exec: People who care about photography own an iPhone

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iPhone 7 camera
Vic Gundotra thinks Apple did a "great job" with the iPhone 7 camera.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Every year, we see some fancy new Android handset try to challenge the iPhone camera, whether it be in sheer number of megapixels or some smart AI image processing technology.

However, Vic Gundotra, Google’s former senior vice president of social, says there’s only serious contender when it comes to making him replace his DSLR: the iPhone.

LG will play a major part in future iPhone production

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iPhone 7
LG could provide 30 percent of OLED displays for the iPhone by 2020.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Samsung may be providing 100 percent of the OLED displays for Apple’s iPhone 8, but according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, LG Display will be playing an increasingly big role in iPhone OLED display manufacturing in the years to come.

Specifically, he thinks that LG will to supply 10-20 percent of the iPhone’s OLED supply by 2019, and 20-30 percent by 2020.

Apple code confirms that facial unlocking tech is on the way

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iPhone 8 facial recognition
We could be waiting a long time for iPhone 8.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Code confirming the existence of Apple’s infrared facial recognition technology has been discovered by intrepid developer-turned-iOS sleuth Steve Troughton-Smith.

Troughton-Smith discovered the code in the HomePod firmware Apple released late last week. It suggests that previous reports about face unlocking on the iPhone 8, possibly as a replacement for Touch ID, may be accurate.

Linelight, Groovebox, and other awesome apps of the week

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Awesome Apps
'Appy weekend everyone!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A stunning minimalist iOS puzzle game, in which you must guide a beam of light through a network of pipes, is just one of the great App Store picks we’ve highlighted for this week’s “Awesome Apps” roundup.

We’ve also selected a great music-making app for iPhone and iPad, a smart Bluetooth device finder for tracking down your lost Apple Pencil, and an entertaining parkour endless runner. Check out our choices below.

Slow down songs so you can learn them with Capo touch 2.5

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Capo Touch Steinberger iPad
Fantastic slow-downer app Capo Touch just got even better.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Capo touch is the iOS version of Capo, an amazing Mac app that lets you slice and dice a song, slowing it down so you can learn it on guitar or another instrument.

Developer SuperMegaUltraGroovy added some great new features to Capo touch version 2.5. If you’re a long-time user, you’ll appreciate the interface tweaks, the Apple Music support and the new audio-scrubbing engine. If you never used Capo, and you play a guitar, you should buy Capo touch right now.

Cult of Mac Magazine: Podcasting 101, iOS beta 4 changes, Juuk’s Rainbow Apple Watch band and more!

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podcast
One thing that sets apart the amateurs from the professionals is good content, but the other is production values.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, amateur podcaster and video-tutorial creator, Chris Ward, shares what he’s learned, along with recommendations on the hardware, software and techniques to get you started podcasting using your Mac.

We’ve got video of iOS 11 beta 4 changes, and how the flashlight mode on iPhone helped a photographer light the simulated workspace of European astronaut Paolo Nespoli. Check out the long-awaited Rainbow Apple Watch Band from Juuk, and more.  Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.

Get legit tools and lessons for screenwriting, coding, and more [Week’s Best Deals]

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Get pro-level tools and guidance for screenwriting, graphic design, coding, and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

We’re right in the middle of the dog days of summer. But the hottest place you’ll find is at the Cult of Mac Store. We’ve been busy stacking up a bunch of new deals that are ideal for digital creatives. We’ve got a set of lessons in coding for the all new iOS 11, and Adobe’s suite of graphic design apps. There’s also the industry standard app for screenwriters, and a rugged phone tripod for mobile photography and video. Discounts range from 40 percent to 95 percent off, read on for more details:

HomePod software reveals new details of Apple’s smart speaker

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Apple's new HomePod smart speaker is ready to rock your house.
HomePod will launch in December, but supplies will be constrained.
Photo: Apple

The launch of Apple’s new HomePod speaker isn’t slated until the very end of 2017, but after digging into the software that powers the new device, one developer has revealed a number of features fans can expect.

Notorious iOS sleuth Steve Troughton Smith has done some serious research into HomePod and discovered that it’s basically like another iOS device only it doesn’t have a big screen. That could open HomePod up to some exciting capabilities in the future.

How to activate the iPhone’s hidden pedometer

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Pedometer calculator hero
Like a calculator or a vampire, the iPhone’s pedometer loooooves to count.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Your iPhone isn’t slacking off when it sits in your pocket. No, it’s industriously counting your every step, ready to tell you the total so you can celebrate by buying cake if you hit your daily goal. The good news is that the iPhone pedometer comes built-in, and requires no third-party apps to do its stuff. The even better news is that there’s a free app — Pedometer++ — that makes it even better.

Find My Friends app saves injured climber’s life

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Find Friends
Find My Friends is super useful.
Photo: Apple

Next time you go hunting for a famous hidden cave, make sure to turn on the ‘Find My Friends’ app. One lucky climber from the U.K. just found out it can totally save your life.

Mountain rescuers workers came to the ill-prepared hiker’s aid after he was injured during his pursuit of the famous Priest Hole cave at the UK’s Lake District National Park. The hike fell over 60 feet and suffered a serious head injury, but was eventually located using Apple’s app.

$27,000 Apple Watch clone is beautifully bonkers [Review]

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Apple Watch Clone
Is this Apple Watch clone worth it's $26,900 asking price?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

This Apple Watch clone costs more than an Apple Watch Edition, but comes with zero apps. The H. Moser Swiss Alp Watch Zzzz might look like it’s straight outta Cupertino, but it’s actually an old-fashioned luxury timepiece.

Would you pay $26,900 for an Apple Watch clone without all the smart functionality? See our video review for more on this completely bonkers Swiss watch.

iPhone 8’s blazing A11 chip enters mass-production

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iPhone leak
TSMC has ramped up production for a September launch.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple manufacturing partner TSMC has reportedly started mass-production of the A11 chip that will power the iPhone 8.

The new chip is said to be based on a 10-nanometer manufacturing process, which should make it faster and more efficient than the 16-nanometer A10 Fusion in the iPhone 7.

Early benchmarks suggest it will be even faster than the A10X Fusion chip in the latest iPad Pros.

Apple might pump billions into LG for OLED displays

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iPhone 7
The iPhone 7 launched in to positive reviews in2016.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple will cough up 3 billion won (approx. $2.7 billion) for exclusivity over LG Display’s new OLED production facility, according to a new report.

It’s thought Samsung has been tasked with manufacturing displays for this year’s iPhone 8, but Apple’s big investment could mean all future handsets use LG panels.

Apple paid Nokia $2 billion in cash to settle patent battle

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Nokia
Keeping Nokia at bay isn't cheap.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple paid $2 billion in cash to settle its most recent patent battle with Nokia.

Neither party revealed the sum when they put their differences aside and entered into a new licensing and business cooperation agreement back in May. But Nokia’s earnings reveal that the Finnish firm received a massive payout to drop its patent lawsuit.

WhatsApp just crossed a staggering milestone

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WhatsApp
You’ll need a new iPhone if you can’t update to iOS 8 or later.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Over 1 billion people around the world are using WhatsApp every single day.

The insanely popular messaging service, which was acquired by Facebook in 2014, is now processing over 55 billion messages, 4.5 billion photos, and 1 billion videos per day.

Apple grows a forest in quirky new Earth Day 2017 video

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Earth Day 2017 has long since passed but Apple’s still not done busting out its quirky videos that celebrate the company’s green environmental protection initiatives.

In Apple’s latest hand-drawn ad published today, the company showcased its efforts to preserve forests so that the paper used in all of its packaging is done in a sustainable way. With a goal of preserving nearly 1 million acres of forest by 2020, Apple hopes 99% of the fibers and papers will come responsible sources and recycling.

Watch Lisa Jackson explain:

Everything you need to know about location sharing in iOS

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Location sharing
Where’s my iPhone? I know I left it around here somewhere
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Your iPhone knows where you are, pretty much all the time, and you probably know that it can share your location with other people, too, if you let it. Many apps ask to know where you are so that they can do their job (a weather app, a mapping app), but the iPhone has a few built-in ways to let other folks know where you are, and also to help you find a lost iPhone. There are so many ways to use location sharing that it can get a little confusing, but really, all those options are connected to the same service.

Let’s see how they all tie together.

Quick Tip: How to set up your Medical ID on your iPhone

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Medical ID
Adding your Medical ID means that anyone can check your details without unlocking your iPhone.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Inside the iPhone’s Health App, the app that counts your steps and hooks up with other apps to monitor your activity and health, lives your Medical ID. This is a page containing everything important that you might want a doctor or first responder to know in an emergency, and is accessible from your iPhone’s lock screen without a password.

By default, the app only contains your name, and a few details automatically culled from your address book, but fleshing it out is quick and easy. Here’s how to set up your Medical ID with any and all the information you want to make available.

iPhone 8 plans spilled by case-maker

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iPhone 8 Nodus
iPhone 8 imagined by Nodus.
Photo: Nodus

Being one of the first to market with new iPhone accessories can mean big business. We won’t get confirmation of Apple’s plans for the iPhone 8 until September, but some companies are already manufacturing cases based on leaks and rumors.

One of those is Nodus. Launched in 2013, the case-maker focuses exclusively on the iPhone, and its plans for Apple’s next big refresh are already well underway. Here’s everything it knows about the iPhone 8 so far, and how it’s fighting to beat others to market.